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Category Archives: STEM

Move over Silicon Valley; New York is upping the ante as a technology hotbed with Digital.NYC. With a little help from IBM, this citywide initiative is making The Big Apple a more attractive destination for startups to, well, start up. Not only is Digital.NYC fostering the city’s thriving tech community, it is opening up opportunities for high-tech talent in the Northeast.

Think of Digital.NYC as the Craigslist for the technology industry in New York City. From one online hub you can find events, jobs, courses and collaborative workspaces. Investors can quickly search for prospects among a sea of startups, and vice versa. Plus, gain access to resources that can empower you to start up yourself.

As NYC continues to solidify its status as the technology capital of the East Coast, it will be interesting to see how the industry will shape the city and its high-tech dwellers. In the meantime, I’m happy to see the East Side at the forefront of innovation and getting the recognition it deserves.

Are you an NYC-based techie? How are you seeing the industry landscape changing? Leave me a comment below.

Looking for a job in the New York City area? Check out our featured positions and apply if you see something you like.

Last month, we talked about some buzz worthy technologies including big data, cloud, business intelligence and mobility. This month, we’re continuing our tech talk with some more high-tech sectors that are seeing tremendous growth. Here’s what you need to know:

Marketing Automation
Marketing automation is huge. More and more companies are gaining momentum and fighting tooth and nail for a piece of the pie. Stand-alone technologies such as Marketo and HubSpot have become commonplace within overworked marketing departments. Even large marketing logistics providers are offering solutions that automate the process.

The idea here is to do more with less. Moving campaign management to a single dashboard takes the busy work out of the equation, allowing teams to be more streamlined and strategic. Marketing automation also allows for more targeted communication and performance tracking.

Life Sciences
Life sciences can be applied to anything from pharmaceuticals to the food industry. And you don’t necessarily have to be a traditional scientist to break into this field. From management to sales and technology, there is a wealth of opportunities.

In Massachusetts, the industry is exploding. A 2013 report by the Boston Foundation found the state’s life sciences industry growing at a faster pace than any other­ industry. And with GE moving their Healthcare Life Sciences headquarters to the Commonwealth early next year, more jobs are expected to follow.

Security
With networks being hacked and databases expanding faster than ever before, IT security professionals are in high demand. In fact, the industry is growing at a rate of 24 percent every year, according to Forbes.

The need expands beyond software and computing firms. Think of industries like healthcare and financial, where sensitive data is constantly being collected. IT executive Shan Fowler tells TechRepublic that security is important to “every company, regardless of industry…because technology touches every aspect of an organization.”

Big data. Cloud. Business intelligence. Mobility. These buzzwords are not only trending among technophiles, but with employers too. These industries are experiencing rapid growth and employers are jumping at the chance to fill vacant spots with qualified candidates. Here’s what you need to know:

Big DataAs databases fill up with more and more information, high-tech companies are scrambling for ways to compile, process and store this valuable data. Different leaders offer different solutions: IBM has FlashSystems, Microsoft has StorSimple, Oracle has its own solution, and the list goes on. As the storage wars continue among competitors, data scientists are reaping the benefits. Gartner estimates that by next year, there will be more than 4 million positions up for grabs.

Cloud ComputingFor the past few years, we’ve seen the demand for cloud architects steadily rise. Big data is partly responsible for this trend. With cloud computing, companies can manage their entire network remotely, cutting down on hardware and operating costs. High-tech heavy hitters like SAP, IBM and Cisco are leading the way – providing solutions many firms are adopting in a race to virtualize their IT environments.

MobilityFrom mobile developers to IT professionals, Mashable ranked mobility as one of the hottest tech jobs on the market this year. With more business being conducted on the go, mobile technology is a must. Whether we’re talking laptops, smart phones or tablets, all the moving pieces must be secure and run smoothly. As devices are upgraded and new applications are released, companies are often playing catch up to stay current, furthering the need for mobile technology experts.

Business AnalyticsWith all this stored data, companies want a smart way to crunch the numbers. Business analytics, often used interchangeably with business intelligence or BI, uses information like demographics, sales figures and buying habits to develop insights that can be used to improve processes, drive revenue, even fight crime and disease. So, who are these analytics experts? Stacy Blanchard from Accenture Analytics tells InformationWeek that “they’re typically statisticians who are deep into data modeling, they’re close to the technology, and know the right algorithms to use with the data available.”

Don’t have a STEM background? Not a problem. Matt McGraw, CEO of high-tech recruiting agency TheLions, told Mashable “sales development is perhaps the best opportunity for non-engineers to get into startups with a $100,000 career track.”

Next month we’ll continue our deep dive with more industry trends, including marketing automation solutions, life sciences and security. For now, check out what’s trending in IT.